if you are worried about reliability issues, why not run a very small biscuit pc/nano itx (very light on power requirements) dedicated to just instrumentation/hud/etc with flash card for guages?

if you are just interested in changing your cluster around, might i recommend dakota digital? They offer some different style clusters, many different sized shape color and function guages, and if you want to spend enough on a custom setup, they will do that for you to.

Yes, my hardware is extensive because of the uniqueness of this in an older model and VERY custom vehicle. An OBDii wrapper I could easily code to this once I get the skins finished up. I have the source to the more popular http://www.obddiagnostics.com/ so it would probably be based around this.

That source wouldnt happen to available to download would it? I was just tryin yesterday to find it so i could write a skinnable plugin for road runner.

if you are worried about reliability issues, why not run a very small biscuit pc/nano itx (very light on power requirements) dedicated to just instrumentation/hud/etc with flash card for guages?

I think that is the right idea. As time goes forward, it will be easier to create a PC-based, dedicated system that can operate full time, be reliable, and turn on almost instantly. This aspect of the project is only going to get easier in the future.

if you are just interested in changing your cluster around, might i recommend dakota digital?

The idea of this project is software-based gauges and the ability to "roll your own" vehicle control and instrumentation systems. It's just a variation of the whole CarPC/MP3 control project which has become so popular which is to create your own vehicle entertainment system/controls. I want to be able to do that for my instrumentation as well -- to design my own gauges, control the look and feel, layout and functionality. This includes adding many new monitors that vehicle manufacturers are too cheap to install (such as tire pressure and a compass) and my own proprietary logic for a trip computer and reminder package. It seems many others would like to do this as well.

With off-the-shelf parts you are limited to using someone else's design.With a software solution, there are virtually no limits to what you can do. You can have any design and any functionality you want. This is the way of the future IMO. The days of "fixed" gauges -- whether analog or digital -- could be numbered.

Quote:
Originally Posted by necrolyte
Yes, my hardware is extensive because of the uniqueness of this in an older model and VERY custom vehicle. An OBDii wrapper I could easily code to this once I get the skins finished up. I have the source to the more popular http://www.obddiagnostics.com/ so it would probably be based around this.

That source wouldnt happen to available to download would it? I was just tryin yesterday to find it so i could write a skinnable plugin for road runner.

I'll have to look on my other boxes and dig it up. It's been a year or so since I've played with it, but I'm pretty sure I have all the source. I also have Pepperwhite's OCX and mapping routines somewhere, and some Serial/Parallel I/O routines around here somewhere. I've been coding too long..lol

I'll have to look on my other boxes and dig it up. It's been a year or so since I've played with it, but I'm pretty sure I have all the source. I also have Pepperwhite's OCX and mapping routines somewhere, and some Serial/Parallel I/O routines around here somewhere. I've been coding too long..lol

Know that feeling, somewhere I have some of the original source from DOOM (and I mean when it was being made) and a voxel editor they abandoned for performance reaons. I'm old.